Hazen Fire
by Lake Desire
Summary: *Ch. 6* Yuffie's strange, reoccurring dream about Tifa influences her to leave Wutai and seek answers. What is with her infatuation with Tifa? And why do Don Corneo's cronies keep showing up? And what role does Tio the chocobo racer play?
1. Prelude - Fairwell Aerith

Hello. I've put a lot of work and thought into writing Hazen Fire. It's a rather unusual story, so I hope you'll enjoy it. Thank you to those who've given me reviews so far, they're very helpful and encouraging!  
  
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Prelude  
  
Yuffie Kisaragi fidgeted uncomfortably, uneasily toying with her shuriken. This place gave her the creeps. The whole damn ancient city did. Why was she here? she asked herself for the millionth time. Cloud had asked her to accompany him and Tifa, that was why. There wasn't even any useful materia around, she reminded herself bitterly. Perhaps that was a blessing, considered she'd nearly blown everything back at Wutai and was finally gaining back her companions trust.  
  
The ninja followed obediently, walking quietly beside Tifa as the trio ascended the spiraling staircase, leading to the tranquil city underground. The eerie atmosphere rose the hairs on the back of Yuffie's neck. It was too clean, to preserved, for something that had been abandoned for generations. The remains of long dead people should be decayed, clothed in cobwebs.  
  
Get a grip, the petite teenager thought, running her hand through her dark, bob cut, pulling it out of her face only to have it fall hopelessly back in place. She looked to Tifa, trying to follow her example. The martial artist loyally followed Cloud, her face showing no fear, only determination. Yuffie held no doubt that the tall, top-heavy brunette would follow Cloud to the end of the Planet.  
  
Were they already there? As she wondered, a chill ran through her small frame.  
  
Despite Tifa's obvious devotion to their enigmatic blonde leader, Cloud seemed oblivious to the feelings his only childhood friend had for him. Yuffie reckoned he was blinded by his obsession to find Sephiroth and distracted by the charmingly beautiful Aerith. The Cetra openly flirted with Cloud, making it clear, it seemed to Yuffie, that she was interested in him.  
  
If only I could be so bold, Yuffie thought as she had so often recently. Tifa and I aren't so different, really. The one she admires acts like he could care less what she feels, while she has no idea how much I admire her. Admire her? More like crush after her, a nagging thought suggested. We've been over this, I am not gay. Queer! Oh, shut up, you! Yuffie sighed and almost giggled aloud to as she realized how silly it would seem if her friends knew what kind of arguments she held with herself.  
  
Cloud stopped walked so suddenly that Yuffie rammed into his back. "Hey," she snapped, being jarred from her daydreams. "Watch where you're goin'!"  
  
"Look, it's Aerith!" Tifa said in an excited whisper as Yuffie spotted the flower girl kneeled over an opening in the floor. The lifestream flowed beneath her, casting a pale green light on the face of the praying ancient. Cloud seemed as if he expected to see Aerith there. The ex-SOLDIER approached the woman with confidence. Yuffie hung back, hovering by Tifa's side, cherishing the security she felt near the older woman. Tifa would know what to do if Cloud turned psycho again, right?  
  
"Gawd, this place sucks," Yuffie complained in her usual manner, managing to get a faint smile from Tifa. Then the woman's face melted into deadly seriousness as she watched Cloud. "What is it?" Yuffie asked, following her gaze.  
  
"Cloud! Stop!" Tifa shouted. Yuffie's jaw hit the floor as she watched Cloud raise his sword, preparing to strike a fatal blow to the oblivious and praying Aerith.  
  
Cloud stepped back, Tifa's cry lifting him from his possession. Yuffie crumpled to her knees beside Tifa, overwhelmed by relief. The feeling was only momentary. Yuffie stared wide-eyed at the sword wielding Sephiroth, who materialized from the ceiling. The silver haired angel descended in slow motion towards Aerith.  
  
"No!" she could hardly gasp, but was unable to do anything more to prevent the sword from plunging into her friend's chest. The gruesome murder was a blur. The nonchalant look on Sephiroth's face, completely unmoved by taking the life of the last Cetra, the was blankness in Aerith's expression, as if she felt nothing, knew nothing was happening, it all seemed to happen in a split second yet those images imbedded themselves deep in Yuffie's mind. She found herself clutching Tifa, transformed into a frightened little girl.  
  
Aerith dead? How could it be… Yuffie'd just been with her just few days before, laughing, smiling, and flirting with the unreceptive Cloud. She'd been kind to Yuffie when the rest of the gang didn't give a damn, especially after the materia incident. Now Yuffie would never have a chance to thank the Cetra for believing in her.  
  
Damn Sephiroth. Yuffie hadn't wanted to fight before. Stories of the gray- haired man gave her beyond the creeps before she even had laid eyes on him. Now she understood what it all meant. The one winged angel was insane. If he could take life so casually, so unemotionally, so unregretful, that meant summoning meteor wasn't just an idle threat. He would actually do it. Everything she knew would be destroyed. Her town, her friends, even the materia she strove so hard to pilfer would be dead. As dead as Aerith. She'd joined the motley gang with eyes clouded by greed. Perhaps her dreams of finding wealth in materia goal wasn't entirely gone, but she knew what had to come first. Cloud would have a hard time getting rid of Yuffie Kisaragi now.  
  
Yuffie approached Cloud in an attempt to offer sympathy, but was lost for words. She only could embrace her companion, leaving a wet streak on his shoulder. Yuffie pulled away and solemnly turned her back. She walked off, head hung low. Her pace quickened into a fast stride. Before she realized it, the ninja was sprinting back up the spiral staircase, away from that hell hole reeking of death.  
  
Dark clouds heavy with moister had been approaching before the threesome had ventured underground and now were raging in full force. Icy droplets stung Yuffie's exposed face and the lightening flashes lit the path before her, setting an appropriate mood for how she felt. The ninja breathed heavily and collapsed onto her knees. "Aerith… dead… Sephiroth…" she croaked between sobs. It was too much to handle. A tiny inkling nagged at the corner of her mind.  
  
She was glad it hadn't been Tifa.  
  
Disgusted with herself and the world, the determination to kill Sephiroth drifted away leaving a frail, sixteen-year-old girl weeping on the ground. So overcome with grief and guilt, Yuffie crumpled into a ball and drifted out of consciousness.  
  
Yuffie's mind slowly arrived in the realm of dreams. She found herself back in the City of the Ancients, standing in her unconscious recreation of the place Aerith had returned to the Planet. Only it wasn't Aerith who knelt before the pool.  
  
It was Tifa.  
  
"Tifa, what the hell are you doing?" Yuffie demanded, her small voice muffled by a vast and pressing silence. She ran, but her feet met air on a slow motion treadmill, arms flailing hopelessly as if she were running through water. The blonde-tipped, purple figure of Cloud descended from the ceiling, taking the place of Sephiroth in Yuffie's nightmare.  
  
"No! Tifa! No! Tifa! Teef? Nonononononoooo!" the ninja wailed, collapsing. She was petrified not by fear but an inability to react. She tried to turn away from the gruesomeness she knew would follow, tried to clamp her eyelids down, but in her mind she still saw every detail. The blade plunged between Tifa's breasts, disappearing into her chest. A ripple of blood slowly spread outward from the wound. Tifa stared directly at Yuffie, a hardened gaze piercing the little ninja's soul.  
  
Why did you let him hurt me? Tifa's unspoken voice pressed with such seemingly infinite sadness. The weight of guilt took its toll, for Yuffie merely shook her head. She searched for a solution, something to make it better, but no words came. Tifa's eyes lost recognition. She spasmed, blood rising from her throat like bile and trickling down her chin. The young woman collapsed at Cloud's feet as she returned to the Planet. 


	2. One - Enough Bickering

One  
  
Yuffie jerked up. Consciousness slipped back as she threw off her covers and swung her legs off the edge of the bed. The ninja ran clammy hands through her short bob, letting it fall back around her face.  
  
She seldom had her reoccuring dream since she and her companions had saved the Planet from Sephiroth. It had felt simply wonderful to be able to relax, to sleep in her own bed on solid ground without the constant nausea from motion sickness. For the first few weeks of being home, Yuffie had slept in late, stuffed her face, and laid around her father's house. Everyone was so grateful that Yuffie had been hailed town hero. Even Godo couldn't complain, at the time.  
  
With five months past, Yuffie's seventeenth birthday had come and gone. Nanaki had sent her a card. His memory was so precise that he recalled the date she'd casually mentioned while teasing him. She was a little hurt none of her other friends had sent her anything, but how were they to know?  
  
With the collapse of ShinRa, jobs were scarce and tourism was almost nonexistent. Several new homes that had gone up as people moved away from the wrecked sections of Midgar, but other than that the town was ever more boring that before Meteor.  
  
Yuffie's eyes scanned her room, falling on the window. Brightness peaked around the shutter, casting a streak of light on the hardwood floor, illuminating the floating dust. She stared a moment, watching the particles drift in the air. The dull amusement soon lost its fun as Yuffie rose from her bed, shivering in her thin nighty as her bare feet touched the cool floor.  
  
Yuffie cast open the shutters, leaning against the window seal. A morning mist hung over the town, shrouding the overlooking mountains from view. In the street below, a group of little boys kicked a ball between one another. An old lady shuffled towards the market. Hens scratched the dirt, pecking at unseen grubs. A familiar fifteen year old leaned against a post of an adjacent building, taking a drag on a cigarette. "Mornin', cutie," he shouted up at her with a sneer, waving at Yuffie.  
  
"Up yours," she shouted, flipping him off before slamming her shutters.  
  
Morning, surprisingly, was the busiest time in Wutai, before the mist burned off into midday heat.  
  
Yuffie pulled on a frayed pair of kacki shorts and a faded green t-shirt. She stumbled into the bathroom, splashed water on her face, ran a brush through her disheveled brown mop, and did her business.  
  
"About time you got up," Yuffie's father, Godo, remarked. The big man sat at the low kitchen table reading the previous day's Midgar Times.  
  
Just ignore him, she reminded herself. You don't want to deal with another argument. She grabbed a bowl of left over rice and plopped down on a pillow. She stared at her food, eating in silence.  
  
"You think you're funny, don't you? I know that was you who threw that cat in my pond. The stupid creature ate one of my most valuable koi. When are you going to stop playing childish games, you stupid girl?"  
  
Yuffie clamped her hands over her ears. "Lalala, I can't hear you!" she spoke loudly, over emphasizing each word with dramatic pauses.  
  
Godo picked up a roll from his plate and chucked it at his daughter. With her trained ninja reflexes, she raised her chopsticks to deflect the incoming pastry. Engraged, Godo picked up his plate and chucked it like a frisbi at his daughter. She ducked just before the plater shattered against the wall.  
  
"My GAWD, old man, what are you tryin' to do, kill me?"  
  
"We'd both be better off if I did, seeing as you lay around all day eating my food and living in my house. Why don't you stop being so lazy and worthless and get a job!"  
  
The insubordinate teenager slammed her fists on the table. "Worthless? If anything is, this town is so damn worthless! It's so fucking boring there isn't any job to get, AND," she stamped her foot in a childlike manner. "No one seems to remember WHO saved your butts from Meteor! Why doesn't anyone appreciate me around here?"  
  
Godo stood, arms crossed, looking bored. They'd had similar arguments nearly every day for the past few months. "Are you finished?"  
  
"I'm finished with this whole fucking town," she wailed, biting back the tears. In with ungraceful clumsiness, the petite girl bound over the table and disappeared out the door.  
  
An hour later, Yuffie emerged from her room.  
  
"Where do you think you're going, missie?" Godo questioned as she passed his room, noticing her armor and conformer, complete with glowing materia carefully stored in its slots.  
  
"Away from here, old man, and I'm not coming back!" she stated proudly. Yuffie stormed out of the house, head high. Where would she go? She could visit her friends. Maybe she'd see Nanaki. He could give her advice about her dreams. Maybe she'd even tell him about Tifa, after all she still had her little "crush" after all these months. Yes, Nanaki would know what to do. Her mind was set. She walked out of Wutai, hardly containing a bounce in her step. She didn't bother to look back as she set out towards Cosmo Canyon. 


	3. Two - Midgar Void

Two  
  
"Cloud? You awake?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Why don't we leave Midgar? We could live some small town, Kalm even, if you don't want to go far, but let's just get away from this place. It reeks of ShinRa and the past. We could… get married…"  
  
"Married? Teef, I don't want you to get the wrong idea…"  
  
"What is it with you, Cloud? You're willing to be with me now, but you act like it's not because you want to spend your life with me… you act like you need it… need someone to hold you and comfort you… Do you know what you do to me by acting that way?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Tifa. I do care about you, you're like my best friend."  
  
"Well, you know what, Cloud? I love you, okay? If your love in return is too much to ask, why do you lead me on?"  
  
"…"  
  
"Why are you so damn unreceptive!? What is wrong is with me that makes me so difficult to be with?"  
  
"…"  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"You really want to know? You won't like my answer."  
  
"It's Aerith, isn't it?"  
  
"…"  
  
"Don't get me wrong, I miss her, too, but she is dead, Cloud. She would want us to move on."  
  
"You don't know what Aerith would want! You aren't her, Tifa, you aren't Aerith. You'll never be her, never replace her. I can never give my heart to another… I can't bear to loose someone else… and someday, I hope we will be together again, in the lifestream."  
  
"So it's okay if you sleep with me just so long as you pretend you're still with Aerith?"  
  
"…"  
  
"…"  
  
"Well, Cloud, I hope you find happiness in your misery."  
  
"Wait, Tifa. Don't leave. I'm sorry… that was harsh. I do care about you, I need you to be here with me… I don't want to loose myself again. I don't want you to go. Tifa? Teef? Please? Tifa? Tifa!?"  
  
What was I thinking, coming back to Midgar? How could I have hoped for so much from Cloud? Tifa Lockheart asked herself. Her boots splashed through a puddle as she totted her suitcase down a street on one of the surviving Midgar plates. Rain plastered her long, dark-brown hair to the sides of her face, sending goosebumps down her bare limbs.  
  
Two men leaned against a lamp post. Tifa could feel their eyes upon her, and it was no wonder. She was drenched. Mascara had run down her face. Her hair was a tangled, frizzy mass of brown. Her white t-shirt clung to her full d-cup breasts and tight stomach, her dark nipples embarrassingly exposed as they pressed against the nearly transparent wet fabric. As she anticipated, the shorter, balder of the two men whistled a cat call. She'd gotten than kind of response from some men since she'd hit puberty nearly ten years earlier.  
  
"Hiya toots," the taller man said.  
  
She ignored them, keeping her gaze forward. Why was it that all the decent people had moved away from the city?  
  
The men, shrouded by long trenchcoats, fell in step a few paces behind her.  
  
"Hey, you're the broad from that old bar in the slums. I'd of thought ya woulda been crushed when the plate fell on sector seven way back when," the bald one said, eyes falling below Tifa's narrow waste in admiration of and lust for her cuvacious figure.  
  
"Hey Jimmy, she's the same bitch who got the boss in bad with the Turks. You remember what they did to him in Wutai?"  
  
"How could I forget, Marve? I say we make the little wench pay for what she did. We owe it the boss."  
  
Tifa had heard enough. She cast down her suitcase—clothing could be replaced, she carried her materia and valuables on her body—and turned. She stood, legs firmly planted, arms stretch before her. She could feel the heat of the fire materia glowing in her armlet. The palms of her hands spread open in the director her pursuers as an orb materialized between her hands. The sphere swirled with crimson and orange as it flew into the two men, exploding between them.  
  
Tifa spun on her heels and flew with a burst speed and agility she'd acquired during the teenage years she spent studying the martial arts. Her feet carried her until she turned onto a main, more populated, street.  
  
"I really need to get out of this city," Tifa said between breaths, letting her shoulders drop as relaxed. Unless those men had mistaken Tifa for someone else, she knew the incidents to which they had referred were the two times she'd had scuffles with Don Corneo. She'd known of the man for his reputation since she'd opened her bar. His cronies had frequented Tifa's Seventh Heaven, often hitting on her and telling her how she could make so much more money working for "the boss." Like she wanted to be some drug-strung whore at the local brothel, the Honey Bee Inn.  
  
The first time she actually met Don was when she, Cloud, and Aerith had threatened to castrate him if he didn't give them information on ShinRa. She smiled, remembering fondly how Cloud had dressed as a woman to rescue her. Aerith and Tifa hadn't even known more about each other except that one sold flowers and the other owned a bar, yet Aerith had risked being raped to get her out of Don's mansion.  
  
Don Corneo had met his end in Wutai when he'd been bold enough to capture Yuffie and Elena, the blond Turk woman, and tie them to the face of a mountain. It was the first time she realized the Turks were decent people when they'd helped Cloud put at end to Don. Last she saw of him, he'd plummeted off a cliff. That had happened just a couple months short of a year ago. Why were his cronies still around if he was dead?  
  
Tifa's thoughts wandered back to Cloud, recalling the argument they'd had. She clenched her fists and punched the air. I'm getting as far away from him as I can, she thought. And all the creeps that live in what's left of this fucking city. She didn't need to be hurt anymore. Perhaps she'd go to Junon and catch a boat to Costa del Sol. From there she'd have several options. Either way, she just needed to get away. She didn't want to waste anymore time being at woe over a man who would never return her love. It was difficult to accept, but she'd known for so long she could never hope for so much from Cloud Strife.  
  
Walking in the direction of the bus station, she held her head high against depression weighing her down. She took one last look at the city.  
  
"Farewell, Midgar, and all the memories I am leaving behind."  
  
Knowing fully well she had no reason ever to return again to the city in which she had spent so many years, that had shaped her into the woman she was today, Tifa Lockheart set out towards Junon Harbor. 


	4. Three - Old Friends United

I've really let myself get out of shape, Yuffie cursed herself as she trekked up the trail to Cosmo Canyon. The sun dipped in the horizon, casting Yuffie's long shadow across the path that weaved between the red plateaus. Fatigue weighed the young ninja, threatening to pull her right back down the trail.  
  
As the sun fell beneath the skyline, the entrance to the town immerged before her. With an inspired burst of energy, Yuffie increased her pace with visions of dinner and a bath in mind. The great letters reading "Cosmo Canyon" bobbed up and down with each of the ninja's bouncy steps, inching its way higher into view.  
  
Giddy, Yuffie sprinted the last twenty yards. A burly man emerged, stepping in front of the energetic teenager. Beneath a tan, weathered face was a man in his later twenties. His long black raven hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. He uncrossed his thick muscled arms to hold up a hand, cautioning Yuffie to stop. She dug her heals into the ground to avoid smacking into him.  
  
"Gawd!" she snapped, balling her fists. "What are you trying to do, get trampled?" The temperamental girl was in no mood to be hassled, especially when there was a hopeful bath waiting for her.  
  
"Greetings, friend. Have you come here on a calling from the Planet?" he said with rehearsed calmness.  
  
"What the hell? No way! I'm here to see Red—er, Nanaki. Why, are you here to answer 'a calling for the planet' or something?" Yuffie straightened her back and crossed her arms, speaking with over empathized mockery.  
  
The man just smiled. "Ah. Our Nanaki has become quite the celebrity in recent times. We must have a dozen pilgrims who want to raise their children near the planet, for where else could breed such a curious hero?"  
  
Yuffie shifted her weight to one foot, resting her hands on her hips, tapping her foot in a motherly fashion. "Look," the ninja said slowly, as if speaking to a child. "My name is Yuffie Kisaragi." She socked an eyebrow, waiting for his response.  
  
"Welcome, Miss Kisaragi. Have you come seeking the knowledge of the Planet?"  
  
"We've already been through with this!" she exploded, throwing her arms in the air with frustration. An impulse bubbled, urging her to release her conformer where it would plant its blade between his eyes. She quickly shoved away that desire, knowing killing the messenger would get her no closer to Nanaki.  
  
"Young Yuffie, I am afraid the elders would not approve of the admittance of one in such high temper—"  
  
"Jinado, do you give all of our guests such a hard time?"  
  
Both heads turned to see Nanaki, who'd approached unheard on his padded feet. The teenage, cat-like beast looked as Yuffie remembered. His dusty red fur was covered in 40 years worth of tattoos and scars. His flaming tail burned the same fiery fury.  
  
"'Naki, you know how I hate liars—"  
  
"Red!" she shrieked girlishly, throwing her arms around the muscular cat's neck, burying her face into his short mane.  
  
"It is good to see you, Yuffie."  
  
"Aw, quit drollin' on me, you know I'm glad to see you too. Gawd, I'm starvin'. And more importantly, where can I find a bath?"  
  
Nanaki turned to Jinado, who still remained at his post wearing a frown of disapproval. "'Nado, go tell the elders that one of the Heros will be gracing us with her presence tonight. Have a room prepared."  
  
Jinado grunted and dismissed himself. A warm, anthropomorphic smile lit Nanaki's face. He was fond of Yuffie. Her constant teasing had turned from annoyance to adorance. Being the only other adolescent in their old gang, he saw Yuffie's peculiar mannerisms and often fowl temper as a comical—if only he could relax so much to let his raging hormones control his mood. Beneath the materia pilfering ninja was a girl filled with dermination and pride, a characteristic that Nanaki felt mirrored himself.  
  
"Come on Yuffie, there is much we have to talk about."  
  
---------  
  
Tifa lay back, arms hooked behind her neck. Her dark strands of hair spread in a half circle around her head, a dark contrast to Costa del Sol's yellow sand. The sun radiated upon her tanned body gradually darkening her far from flawless skin. Still, the old battle scars were hardly visible at first glance beneath her darkened skin.  
  
The young brunette was not ashamed of her body. The stares she received were more obvious as eye's followed her white bikini. Looks of admiration, lust, or jealous disgust, something curiosity as to how such a young, athletic woman could wild the scars of so many battles. Indeed, she had been through more than one should experience in a lifetime in her two decades.  
  
Tired of basking, Tifa rose from her beach towel. She pulled on a pair of jean shorts and scanned her surroundings. Sunlight glimmered off the aqua blue ocean. Gentle rolling waves broke against the shore in sprays of white mist. A group of children plowed the moist sand into a miniature fortress under the supervision of their mothers while an older couple tossed a Frisbee for their dog. The beach was uncrowned.  
  
The martial artist slipped on a tatted pair of sandals and set out towards the boardwalk. She ran her hands through her silky dark hair, shaking it free of sand and letting it fall down her back until is rested just above her hips.  
  
The flickering and buzzing of the neon bar sign caught her eye. The blast of air-conditioning swept her as she opened the door, making Tifa wish she had not left her shirt on the beach. A few patrons sparsely littered the big room. Tifa felt eyes on her, but ignored it as she had learned to do so long ago.  
  
"Hey, dudette," greeted the bartender, obviously one of the beach-bum surfers who called Costa del Sol his home. He was a short, thickly built man with sun-bleached hair and tattooed, dark tanned skin. "What can I get ya?"  
  
"What's your specialty?" Tifa asked, taking a seat at a stool.  
  
"Hmm… the Costa Concoction is a real knockout. How 'bout that?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Tifa rattled her nails against the table as she watched him prepare her drink.  
  
"You know," she interrupted, "if you ad the ice after you shake it, the salt won't melt it so much."  
  
"Dude, you serious? Never thought of that. How do you know so much?"  
  
"I used to own a bar back in Midgar called 7th Heaven."  
  
"Used to?"  
  
"It was crushed when the plate fell."  
  
"Aw, man, that's a bummer. Wait, you're that Lockheart chick! You're, like famous or something."  
  
Tifa wore a melancholy smile. "Yup, that's me."  
  
"Needed a vacation from all that publicity, eh?"  
  
"More like from a guy I thought was my boyfriend."  
  
"Bummer. Don't mind me saying, but a guy would have to be nuts to give up a babe like you." Tifa rose an eyebrow. "Hahah, no, I'm not hittin' on you! I got myself a cutie, an' we're engaged. My name's Jojo." He shot out a big hand.  
  
"Tifa Lockheart."  
  
"Teef, eh? How'd you like a job?"  
  
"A… job?"  
  
"Do I hear an echo? Duh, a job! My best girl quit last week. Said she'd found a job that paid more, not that I'm trying to scare you off. So what do you say? Lie on the beach all day, work a couple hours on the evening shift, an' I'll even let you rent a vacation condo for real cheap."  
  
"I'll think about it."  
  
"Playin' hard to get? Come on, don't tell m you have a better deal lined up."  
  
"What do you think?" Tifa grinned.  
  
"How's starting tomorrow sound?"  
  
"It sounds good." 


	5. Four - Familiar Mystery

Four  
  
"Good day," Nanaki rumbled, his voice dry, as he nudged open the door to Yuffie's guest room. A crumpled figure was visible beneath the tangled bed sheets.  
  
"It's too early to go to school," Yuffie mumbled and rolled over, oblivious to Nanaki's presence. The big animal shook his head. He coiled and pounced on the bed, sending the incoherent ninja bouncing.  
  
"Ahhh!" she yelped, scrambling to throw the blankets off. She disentangled herself and threw her petite body on Nanaki's back, clamping her arms around his furry neck and digging her teeth into the puppy scruff of his neck.. "Die, thief!" she muttered between her clenched jaw.  
  
"I'm not the thief here, Yuffie," Nanaki teased as he rolled his eyes. He shook the ninja loose, letting her slide off his back onto the floor. "You have any teeth in that big mouth of yours?"  
  
"Hurt you, did I?" she playfully ruffled her friend's head, wearing a coy smile. "You better watch out. It takes a thief to know one, and I was gonna slit your throat!"  
  
"Were you now?" Yuffie swung a fist at Nanaki's head, which he ducked. "If you weren't half as slow, maybe you'd have a chance!"  
  
"Gawd. You're no fun. Why'd you have to come wake me up so early?" she asked with a pout.  
  
"Early? It's nearly noon!"  
  
"You know I need my beauty sleep. You should try it, really. It might help."  
  
"I'm serious, Yuffie. You've been staying here for two weeks now. Isn't about time you figure out what you want to do? I would be happy if you decided to live her permanently, but the elders are starting to tire of hospitality and feel you should earn your keep."  
  
The seventeen year old frowned. Did the people of Cosmo Canyon really think that she was a nuisance? She thought they'd been grateful to have her live there!  
  
"Really?" she asked lamely, for it was all she could find to say.  
  
"No." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Some materia has gone missing from the storerooms and—"  
  
Yuffie cut him off. "—and you think I took it? Why? Have I not proven myself? I wouldn't steel from my closest friend's people after all the times we've saved each others lives!"  
  
"No," he shook his head. "I trust you, Yuffie. The elders are old, set in their ways. They only know your reputation, and overlook the merits of your personality."  
  
"Why couldn't they tell me this themselves?"  
  
"They are afraid of your skill, and your temper."  
  
"Temper! I don't know what they are talking about! I don't have a temper! I ought to march on over to their stupid elder council and show them just what—"  
  
"Yuffie, do you see my point?" Nananki interrupted.  
  
"No!" she snapped, then reconsidered. "Well, I guess I do, but what am I supposed to do about it?"  
  
"You could decide what you want to do with the rest of your life," Nanaki said casually.  
  
"What?" Yuffie asked.  
  
"You don't want to spend the rest of your short life lying about, do you? Why not find something you enjoy doing, and maybe get a boyfriend."  
  
The thought of having a boyfriend made Yuffie uncomfortable, and it showed on her face, so she turned the topic back on Nananki. "What about you? Shouldn't you be finding some way to, you know, continue your species?"  
  
"Yuffie, I can devote a hundred years to searching for a mate. If there are any of my kind left on the Planet, I have time to find them. But why are you so uneager to find yourself a companion? I understand you're at the age where it is acceptable for a human female to choose a mate and begin producing offspring."  
  
"You make it sound so crude," she rolling her eyes.  
  
"So what is the big deal?"  
  
You're gay, Yuffie thought to herself to herself, though didn't dare speak it. Shut up, you're not gay, you're just a confused teenager with raging hormones, the other half of her mind argued. Well, you got the raging part right.  
  
"Yuffie?" Nanaki asked, noticing how distracted she'd suddenly become.  
  
"Go away," she mumbled, diving back under the covers of her bed.  
  
"As you wish." The big feline rose and headed towards the door. Before he exited, he turned back to look at Yuffie. "Maybe you should just travel around for a while, like old times, until you figure out what to do? I'm sure Cid and Shera would love to have you visit Rocket Town. It's only a half week of traveling, even a day or two by chocobo. Or you could even go to Costa del Sol, I hear Tifa is—"  
  
"Tifa!?" Yuffie shot up. "As in Tifa Lockheart?"  
  
"Yes, but—"  
  
Nanaki was cut off as Yuffie leapt from the safety of her bed and began shooing her friend out of her room.  
  
"No buts, Red. Tell your stuffy elders they can have their stupid town ninja-free, and I hope they never find their fucking misplaced materia!"  
  
The door slammed in Nanaki's face. He shook his head and sighed. In his forty years, he'd never met someone as peculiar and confusing as Yuffie, and he doubted he ever would again in the centuries before him.  
  
--------  
  
Tifa ran a rag across the bar counter as she glanced at the clock. Was it really midnight already? Sinking into the routine of her new job had caused time to escape almost unnoticed. It felt so great to be working at a bar again, even if it wasn't her own. She'd forgotten how much she loved bartending. She'd regained her ambition reopen Seventh Heaven, but just needed to decide on a location, since going back to Midgar was out of the question. In the mean time, she had a steady job to keep her occupied.  
  
The brunette scanned the room. A young couple shared a smoke at a table as they caught up on old times. Two of her regulars were slumped over the bar counter, one of them apparently asleep. It was slow, even for a weeknight. She supposed no one wanted to leave their hotel rooms to venture through the rainstorm that was currently dumping on Costa del Sol.  
  
"Hey, new girl, how 'boutcha get your cute lil' behind over here and gime a refill?  
  
"Sure thing, old guy," Tifa retorted.  
  
Tifa turned to grab a bottle off the wall as she heard the creek of the door. She peered over her shoulder to see a short, plump man in a heavy ran coat limp into the bar. He looked familiar, she noted, almost like—CRASH! Tifa lost her train of thought as the bottle slipped out of her hand and smashed into floor.  
  
"Shit," she muttered, grabbing the dust pan and dropping to her knees to sweep up the broken glass. When she rose, the eerie man was gone.  
  
"Where'd he go?" she mumbled to herself, then she caught site of the silhouette of her boss, Jojo, and the stranger in the window of Jojo's office. Curiosity sparked, she casually pretended to wipe down a table nearest the office she caught pieces of conversation.  
  
"…look, Mister…don't know what…with a dude like me…"  
  
"…business proposition, my friend…tourism is low…loosing money…"  
  
"…none of your business…"  
  
"…you want to keep your bar…I can help you…"  
  
"…how?…"  
  
"…rent the facilities from you to set up something guaranteed… more Gil than you can imagine…"  
  
"…what?…"  
  
"…need I be more straightforward?…"  
  
"…no way, man…don't need that shit here…"  
  
"…my best ladies could…provide service…"  
  
"…you disgusting pig…"  
  
"…very well, if that is not your thing…it would be foolish to decline…"  
  
"…then I'm a fool…GET THE HELL OUT OF MY BAR!"  
  
The door swung open and the man stormed past, not even glancing at Tifa. Jojo appeared in the door way, shaking his head.  
  
"What was that all about?" Tifa asked.  
  
"You don't want to know," he said, shaking his head.  
  
"I didn't get a good look at him, but I swear I've seen him before," she stated, hoping Jojo would supply her with a little more information.  
  
"Teef, if you see that guy around town, stay away from him, k? He's bad news, and would stoop to bothering a pretty skirt like yourself. I don't want you to get hurt."  
  
"Alright, boss," Tifa said with a nod, and turned to get back to work. Try as she might, but she couldn't shake the thought of that man from her head… why had he seemed so familiar? 


	6. Five - Innocent Travelers

Mid-day sun beat down in all of its full glory. Heat waves ran across the road, creating the rippling illusion of water in the horizon. Sweat clung in beaded lumps to Yuffie's temples, the brackish droplets reflecting the sunlight. Rings of perspiration lined her green cotton tank top. Dust from the dry red soil still clung to her clothes and skin as she trekked along the dirt road in the direction of Costa del Sol. After a day of traveling, she had reached the brink of Cosmo Canyon territory. The land was gradually flatting and becoming vegetated.  
  
Yuffie toyed with the idea of finding a shady spot to sleep the afternoon heat away, like she had the previous day, but didn't fancy spending another night in the open. There was a traveler's inn within a half day's walk, and visions of a cool bath and comfortable bed kept Yuffie motivated enough not to drag her feet.  
  
The ninja glanced over her shoulder to see the rising dust cloud of an approaching traveler. She had encountered a farmer in his pickup and a chocobo-drawn trading caravan previously but both were headed in the opposite direction. This traveler would soon catch up with Yuffie, so she'd have to use all her spunky girlish charm to get a ride.  
  
Yuffie became crestfallen as she made out the figure out a black chocobo and its rider. So much for bumming a ride. She heard the thumping of the great birds heavy footsteps slow and fall instep with Yuffie's. The ninja glanced up at the rider. He was a stalky, muscular man of roughly below thirties years of age, although it was difficult to determine because he had a tanned and weathered face beneath a broad-rimmed leather hat. A mop of over-grown, sun-bleached, curly hair stuck out from beneath his hat. Several days (weeks?) worth of stubble lined her overall handsome face.  
  
"Hi," he said, sounding sincerely cheerful with no hint of ulterior motives.  
  
"Uh, hiya," Yuffie replied hesitantly, mentally checking the location of her conformer, which was attached securely to her travel pack.  
  
"Where are you headed?" he asked, swinging a leg over the side of his bird and sliding down. He took the reins and walked beside Yuffie. She glanced at him to notice he was roughly her height but quickly looked away when his bright hazel eyes met hers.  
  
"My dad's house," Yuffie dryly stated. "He lives right up ahead. Should be meeting me any time now. Carry's a shot gun. Has lots of big dogs, too, the rabid type."  
  
The traveler chuckled. "Cute, but somehow I'm not frightened. Relax, I hate to blow your ego, but I'm not after your Gil, materia, or anything else you have in mind."  
  
Yuffie decided to take a gamble. The traveler seemed decent enough. Most men underestimated her fighting ability, she could most likely handle herself if being trusting turned out to be a mistake.  
  
"How'd you know I was lying?" she asked.  
  
"When you're in my profession, it's one of the first skills you need to pick up. Besides, there aren't any settlements around here for another ten miles."  
  
"Hmm, fair enough," Yuffie said, then was quiet.  
  
"I'm Tio," he said, then paused as if he expected her to recognize his name. When it became clear she didn't, he went on. "And this beauty is Stasha." He affectionately patted the side of his big friend. "We do a bit of racing when we're up at the Golden Saucer. She's earned me a reputation for being one of the fastest, smartest, and enduring chocobos around."  
  
"So what are you doing here, following little girls rather than racing?" Yuffie said as she stole another glance.  
  
"Racing is just a hobby, really. I race to bring it extra Gil when I'm in between jobs. Slitting throats isn't the most steady source of income."  
  
Yuffie wondered if he was joking, but decided she'd rather not find out. "I'm Yuffie Kisaragi."  
  
Tio's face lit up with recognition. "Kisaragi? That name sounds familiar. Is someone in your family famous?"  
  
"My father is the mayor of the biggest town on the western continent, Wutai. Or it could be me you've heard of. You know of a man named Cloud Strife?"  
  
"Of course, who doesn't? I even had the pleasure of racing him. Say, are you one of his party?"  
  
"Yeah, that's me," Yuffie said unenthusiastically, digging her toe in the dirt.  
  
"So where is our young heroine headed?"  
  
"Costa del Sol, to visit a friend."  
  
"Ah. I'm headed there myself, following a lead. Why don't we travel together? You could get there much faster and I could use the company."  
  
"You wouldn't mind waiting for me?" Yuffie asked, cocking an eyebrow. She missed the days of traveling with her friends during their adventures. Perhaps Tio could provide her with a bit of the fun she'd had in the old days.  
  
"Stasha is a strong bird, your weight would certainly not be a burden."  
  
Yuffie stopped walking and looked from Tio to Stasha. "Are you crazy? You want me to ride that chocobo? No way!"  
  
"Suit yourself. However, I've traveled this road enough times to know that you won't make it to the next inn until after nightfall, and there are quite a few monsters that are known to pick off travelers."  
  
"I can handle them, thank you." Yuffie shot a glare in Tio's direction, still wondering why men always underestimated her.  
  
"There is one particular ochu who has been causing some real problems—"  
  
"Ochu? Um, on second thought, how do I ride this thing?"  
  
Tio's huge grin made Yuffie want to smack him. He gave his bird a command and she lowered her body low to the ground. Tio swung his leg over and slid unto the dip behind the bird's neck. "Just swing your leg over like I did and settle yourself behind me," he said, extending a hand. Yuffie accepted it, momentarily pausing to see her tiny, dirty hand entwined with his. She awkwardly settled behind him, a bit nervous at the unfamiliar contact with the handsome (whoa, girl, she thought, you're not into that. SHUT UP, yes I am! Yuffie argued with herself) man.  
  
"Hang on!" he ordered and kicked the side of his mount. The chocobo took off at a full run. Yuffie's arms instinctually flew around Tio's stomach as she held on for all she was worth.  
  
"AHHH!" she screamed. "Gawd dammit, slow down!"  
  
Tio just glanced over his shoulder with the same maniacal grin she'd see in her friend Cid when he'd piloted the Highwind into Ultimate Weapon.  
  
"Why do I bother?" she mumbled and closed her eyes, burying her face into Tio's back. She promptly clamped her eyes shut as she tried to ward off the nausea that came with having motion sickness. 


	7. Six - Rest of the Puzzle

Within an hour, Stasha, the massive black chocobo, had carried her passengers into the dry farmland that patched the vast plains that stretched between Cosmo Canyon and the next mountain range. They'd arrived at a small village containing a few shanty-like homes and a run down trading post with an inn attached.  
  
When the chocobo stopped moving, Tio found it difficult to dislodge Yuffie from around his waist. "Yuffie? We're here."  
  
One brown eye slowly opened. She slid off Stasha's back, collapsed onto her knees, and vomited on the dirt road. Tio tried to help her up but she shook herself free of his grip. "I would have made it by dark on foot," she spat, staring up at him, her pale face sick with loathing.  
  
Tio didn't deny it. He just chuckled to himself and reached to wipe off the remains of her last meal from her face. "You're a funny kid, Yuffie. I could get to like you." The weathered young man turned to lead Stasha to the inn's stables, leaving the ninja in a crumpled, filthy heap.  
  
Several hours later, Yuffie immerged from the small bathroom, relishing the fresh clothes on her slight frame and feeling of clean skin, now radiant with a fresh tan. Tio sat on one of two twin beds, polishing a dangerous looking dagger.  
  
"I used up all of the hot water," she said casually, plopping down on the other bed. The inn had only one open room, which Tio had insisted they share.  
  
"Well look who cleaned up pretty," he said cheerfully, looking up from his work. Her first reaction was to blush at the complement, then she remembered she was supposed to be angry at her new companion.  
  
"Whatever…" she grumbled. "So what are you doing here attempting to flirt with Lady Chastity instead of racing your champion chocobo?"  
  
"Do you know a man named Don Corneo?" he asked, ignoring her question.  
  
The ninja scratched her head, feeling suddenly feeling important. "Yeah, actually. If he hadn't messed with me, he'd probably still be alive. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Tell me what happened," he asked, his face grown serious.  
  
Yuffie settled herself on the bed, preparing for a lengthy monologue. "Well, back in Midgar, he had a run in with my friends, before I knew them, back when they were the terrorist group, AVALANCE. Tifa, who ran the bar AVALANCE used at their headquarters, got stuck when she went to Don Corneo's place to get information about Shin-Ra. Cloud Strife, who was a mercenary back then, and Aerith, a flower girl he'd met—she's dead now—rescued Tifa and got Don Cornebutt to tell them about Shin-Ra's plans to drop the Midgar Plate on Sector Seven and blame it on AVALANCE.  
  
"The Turks, you know, Shin-Ra's special agents? Well, they weren't very happy about Don telling my friends that information so they tracked him down to Wutai, at the same time that my friends were following me… no, I mean traveling through. Don's cronies grabbed me and Elena, this Turk chick, and tied us up on the mountain face. Cloud and the Turks caught up with him and Reno, the Turk, pushed him off the mountain."  
  
Tio looked concerned. "Oh…"  
  
"What, is that bad?" Yuffie asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"He's not dead."  
  
"What!" Yuffie jumped to her feet with surprise. "Of course he is, I saw him fall!"  
  
"But did you see him die? See his body?"  
  
She paused for a moment, placing her hand on her chin in a gesture of thoughtfulness. "Uh, I guess not…"  
  
"Well, it seems he didn't die. People he held grudges against are turning up missing, or dead, and there is a price on his head higher than anything since the old days."  
  
"You're a bounty hunter?" Yuffie wondered if she was supposed to be frightened.  
  
"You could say so," Tio said, remaining nonchalant.  
  
"Wait, back up a moment. Don Corneo is still alive and kickin', and is killing people who screwed him over? People he's mad at… um, that would be me, and my friends. Is that why you insisted on harassing me back on the road?"  
  
"No, I had no idea you were involved, it's merely a coincidence." Yuffie, always skeptical, wondered if he was telling the truth. "I think he would be more likely to pursue the Turks or your friends who betrayed him in Midgar. If Cloud Strife is half what his reputation describes, Don Corneo would be a fool to attempt a straight assassination. However, your other surviving friend… Tifa was her name? Her safety concerns me."  
  
Yuffie's stomach plummeted. "Tifa is living in Costa… wait. You said you were headed towards Costa del Sol. Does that mean Corneo is there? He wouldn't really kill Tifa, would he?" Yuffie felt childish, asking such naïve questions.  
  
"It's doubtful, but possible. Corneo usually sends one of his men to do his killing. He knows the bounty on his head is huge so he wouldn't risk exposing himself. I'm not the only one after him, after all. However, my sources have brought to my attention he is back at his old tricks. He opened a new brothel at the Golden Saucer since the famous Honeybee Inn was destroyed. Like Gold Saucer, Costa del Sol is a tourist town, ideal for his line of business."  
  
"That's disturbing," Yuffie said, loosing her appetite.  
  
"Indeed it is. That is why you best get some rest tonight, because we're leaving at sunrise. After what you've told me, I don't want to waste anymore time."  
  
Normally Yuffie would have protested getting up at that hour, but she just nodded obediently. 


End file.
